Ech-Cheliff

Ech-Cheliff, formerly (until 1981) El-Asnam, or (until 1964) Orléansville, town, northern Algeria. It lies along the Chelif River, south of the Mediterranean Sea port of Ténès. It was founded by the French in 1843 on the site of the ancient Roman settlement of Castellum Tingitanum and is now an important rail junction midway between Algiers and Oran, as well as an agricultural trade centre. In the surrounding region, wheat and barley are the main crops, and citrus fruits, grapes, and beef and dairy cattle are raised in the irrigated areas. Other economic activities include printing, leatherworking, and the processing of fruit juices.

The former El-Asnam area was struck by severe earthquakes in 1954 and 1980; the latter, with a force of about magnitude 7.3, destroyed more than half of the buildings in El-Asnam and killed about 5,000 people. The town’s official name was changed in 1981 because of El-Asnam’s association with earthquake disasters. Pop. (1998) 179,768; (2008) 224,154.